Current Site Status

The Flanders Filters Inc. site includes the area where Flanders Filters, Inc. has operated an active manufacturing facility since 1969. EPA did not list the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) but considers it an NPL-caliber site and is addressing it through the Superfund Alternative Approach because of contaminated soil and ground water resulting from facility operations. EPA, the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR), and Flanders Filters, Inc., the site’s potentially responsible party (PRP), have investigated site conditions and taken steps to clean up the site in order to protect people and the environment from contamination.

Site contamination does not currently threaten people living and working near the site. The PRP is currently conducting long-term monitored natural attenuation activities to confirm ground water contamination is confined to the site and that ground water contaminant levels as well as the size of the impacted area are decreasing. A water line connects residences and businesses to the public water supply for drinking water. By monitoring ground water, placing institutional controls on the site property to limit ground water and land use, and undertaking Five-Year Reviews, EPA, NCDENR and the site’s PRP continue to protect people and the environment from site contamination.

Site Location and Background

The 65-acre site is located in Washington, Beaufort County, North Carolina. The site includes the main plant building, three warehouses, a metal shop, a maintenance shop, a paint shop, a water treatment plant, a chemical storage shelter, a leach field for the septic system, a former spray field and other support structures. Highway 264 borders the site to the north, Mitchell Branch borders the site to the east and the Shad Bend neighborhood borders the site to the south and southwest. The site’s broader surroundings include grass fields, Tranters Creek, wetlands, undeveloped fields and wooded areas.

The site includes an active facility that has manufactured high-efficiency borosilicate glass micro-filters and air filter framing systems since 1969. EPA did not list the site on the NPL but considers it an NPL-caliber site and is addressing it through the Superfund Alternative Approach. Currently, manufacturing operations at the site are ongoing. A security fence encloses the manufacturing area.

Threats and Contaminants

Site investigations identified contamination in ground water and soil that could potentially harm people in the area. Contamination resulted from waste handling practices at the site. Contaminant of concern include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals, inorganic compounds and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Potential future risks to people and the environment exist at the site due to contamination documented in ground water. None of the 77 private wells in use near the site is directly downgradient of the site. Therefore, ground water contamination has not affected these wells. A water line connects the manufacturing facility on site as well as local residents and businesses to the public water supply.

EPA assessed whether residents or workers might be at risk from harmful ground water vapors in buildings. EPA found that vapor intrusion did not pose a threat to residents and workers.

Cleanup Progress

The site’s PRP conducted monitoring activities to confirm that ground water contamination is confined to the site boundaries and that contaminant concentrations in ground water are decreasing.
The PRP placed institutional controls on the site property.

The site’s second Five-Year Review, completed in 2011, found that the cleanup remains protective of human health and the environment.

Community Involvement

EPA has worked with the community and its state partner to develop a long-term cleanup plan for the site, reflecting the Agency’s commitment to safe, healthy communities and environmental protection. Community engagement and public outreach are core components of EPA program activities.

EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities to solicit community input and to make sure the public remains informed about site activities throughout the cleanup process. Outreach efforts have included public notices, interviews and public meetings.

Future Work

The site’s PRP continues to sample and monitor ground water to confirm the effectiveness of monitored natural attenuation and the continued breakdown of contaminants in ground water. The PRP conducts annual sampling in two wells.

EPA completed the last Five-Year Review in 2011 and plans to complete the next Five-Year Review in 2016.